help me decide what to do with my money

[donkalicious]

For friends new to indexing (and investing in general), I always recommend "The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read: The Simple, Stress-Free Way to Reach Your Investment Goals," by Daniel Solin, which for beginners is much easier to read and apply than "Random Walk" and similar books, including those by Jack Bogle. In a few brief pages, this book will tell you everything you need to know about indexing (and why for many people it's superior to more active investing strategies) and provide simple instructions for getting started. Vanguard is probably the way to go, btw. Good luck!